Fragmentation
by Van the Key of Lain
Summary: It was a dream…a dream fragmented, and playing like an old film that was put together in the wrong order. There were also pieces missing. [AUish, Mindrape and insanity follow]


_It was a dream…a dream fragmented, and playing like an old film that was put together in the wrong order. There were also pieces missing. A scene would play – he could see himself, clearly. Yet who he was talking to? It was just a dark figure, he couldn't see a face; couldn't recall a name._

_The dream…this movie…felt almost real. Perhaps… these were memories? Yes, memories of events long past._

_There was a battle with skilled enemies, a kidnapping and a rescue. Tragedy stuck in the form of a rockslide._

_It was familiar but something… something didn't feel right about it. Something about it, he didn't know why, seemed out of place; distorted. Memories of events long past. Memories…altered. Why? How?_

_And the play was over._

_- - - - - - - - _

Bright light filtered into the white walled room of the Konoha hospital. The beams of sunlight fell upon the waking patient in the sterile room. How long had he been out? He wasn't entirely sure upon waking. He winced lightly at the shine from the outside hit his closed eyes. Slowly, he opened them, allowing himself to adjust.

For a long while, Hatake Kakashi remained quiet, unmoving, staring at the ceiling above him. The only movement he made was that of blinking. He could here the faint chatter from the outside world; all going about their normal lives. Turing his head towards the window, Kakashi lazily gazed outside at nothing in particular. He was just gazing…at nothing really; a tree, a building, the sky, his reflection.

Kakashi caught his breath.

For a moment, his stare remained focused and unblinking. Was he seeing things right? Was this his imagination or was he seeing…?

With a sudden jerking motion, which in the back of his mind he slightly regretted, Kakashi tore himself from the bed, only to close in on the window, and more precisely his reflection. It was him, and he was awake. He hadn't been seeing things either.

Reflecting back at him was his own face, the one he'd known all his life. Yet, two things – two very prominent things, were missing. The first was his mask. He supposed it was due to the state he was in upon arriving, but then again, there were other times of these hospital visits in which no one messed with it. So why do so now?

The second thing, was a bit more nerving, if not just down right unfounded. His left eye, which still sported the nasty jagged scar dulled of time and age, was dark.

There was no Sharingan.

Yet he could see clearly through it as he had before the incident in which he gotten it.

Perhaps…during this last mission, overuse, or some dramatic event caused it's…..deactivation? A natural born Uchiha had to activate the Sharingan over time, and could then correspondingly deactivate it after use.

Wait….why would he have the Sharingan in the first place? He wasn't an Uchiha.

Closing both eyes, and rubbing his temple, Kakashi slipped back to sit on the bed's edge. His head was swimming in a discord of light pain and euphoria. Trying to access memories and reasons was a trying task. He would see something, but only in pieces, and they were all scattered. Things he tried to recall that he was almost certain of would not obey his heed. Somehow, he was having conflictions between memories and events. He couldn't distinguish a true event from a possible dream.

Wincing light as the pain and dizziness seemed to get stronger as he tried harder to recall things; Kakashi relaxed and took a deep breath.

This tangle he was struggling with…was almost surreal. It was as if he had his life's events…twice over; two sets of memories being infused and inter twined. That in itself was confusing the man, however there was something that was causing him to feel a bit more anxiety than he felt he should feel.

This second set of events, memories – were trying to overlay and erase the others.

His further investigations were halted as a loud knock on the door came, along with a voice.

"Kaka-Sensei! Time to get up!"

Kakashi smiled and felt himself relax. Ah, something stable.

The door swung open, and revealed a broad grinning blond haired ninja. Bright blue eyes flashed as he ran over and hugged the silvery haired man. Kakashi was a bit surprised at the boy's sudden rush, but then again, he really shouldn't be.

After all, it _was_ Naruto after all.

"Maa, Naruto, I'm alright. Nothing to worry about, I'm built tough." Kakashi gave a slightly amused look. It was then it dawned on him he didn't have his mask. However, the need to cover his face wasn't exactly overpowering him. Instead…he felt okay with being exposed.

Huh.

"Yea, I guess you're right. But man, that was one hell of a mission we had! One of the best! Oi, don't you think so Sakura-Chan?!"

Kakashi looked up and over to notice his pink haired student walking up to the bed. She smiled and nodded, holding out the daffodil towards her sensei. Kakashi smiled and took the flower, setting it into the small vase on his bed stand.

"I'll admit it was the toughest so far, and probably the most difficult." Sakura spoke towards Naruto, but then turned towards her sensei.

"But you can't go off the handle like that! Sensei, you know better than that – you tell us that all the time!"

Kakashi blinked, completely lost as to what his female charge was accusing him of, but decided to play into it. He would indeed sort out the matter late.

"Maa…yes, you're right Sakura. I'll try to keep that in mind more often."

"Good." She nodded, and then looked down a little and over to her other team mate.

"How is he doing?"

"I don't know yet, I haven't gone to see him yet."

Noticing the dimness in their eyes, Kakashi speculated his two charges were referring to the last member of the group, Sasuke. Apparently he'd been pretty banged up too. Thing was, Kakashi himself couldn't really recall the mission that put him here in the hospital.

But wait…the last mission he'd been on, he was alone. Wasn't he?

No, perhaps not.

Wincing again in light pain, Kakashi massaged his temples. Again, conflictions met him, and he could not put together a coherent line of thought together to save him life. Deep down inside he knew – just knew – something wasn't adding up. Yet at the same time, he wasn't in panic and felt things were fine. How could this be right?

In his state of confusion, a medic-nin way her way into the room. She smiled at the two younger ninja and her patience; he hadn't noticed her yet. Marking something down quickly on a medical chart, she put it aside on the vacant bed next to her and gave the two youths a warm smile.

"If you're wondering, you teammate will be fine. He should be waking any minute now."

Sakura gave a breath of relief and Naruto gave a triumphed cry of joy.

"Can we go see him?" asked the blond boy cheerfully.

"I don't see why not, just try not to rouse him too much."

"Alright! We'll see you later, Kaka-Sensei! Come on Sakura-Chan!" Naruto said, pulling the girl with him out of the room. Just before the two disappeared entirely, Naruto called back over his should.

"Don't worry, Sensei! We'll let Lee know you're alright!"

There was a moment of silence that hung in the air before Kakashi's collective mind stopped, and he took in Naruto's words.

_'Lee?!'_

Narrowing his brow in confusion, he grumbled audibly, rubbing his hands over his face. He could still feel the presence of the Medic-Nin in the room, but for some reason, he didn't mind being open in front of her. For some insane reason, she felt….familiar, and cozy.

"Seriously, Kakashi… you can't be so reckless anymore. Flying off the handle, living in the moment. Then again, you've always been this animated."

Pulling his hands away slowly from the voice…one who's gentle yet stern tones plucked at his heart and memory, Kakashi turned his gaze slowly to the woman in his company, and began to feel the color drain from his features.

"Seriosuly, what would Obito say if he knew you were here, again?!"

His mouth became dry, as he tried to form words.

"I'll tell you what I'd say, I'd say 'Dammit, Kakashi, stop being so hot-blooded!'"

Eyes widened; breath hitched in place.

Two faces of two people who should by no rights exist at this time.

Two faces of two people….no wait…why shouldn't they exist?

Older. Aged. Battle Hardened.

This wasn't right.

But it was.

It was…Obito and Rin; his teammates, his friends, and loved ones.

They were alive.

Why shouldn't they be?

Because…..because…..

"I…don't …know…" Quiet words from a breaking man, spoken in zest of trying to know why but at the same time seeing there was no 'why' drifted lightly in the air, before the world around him once again became dark.

-------

Woot. So, it seems I like fucking with Kakashi's mind. ; - ; Bad me! slaps hand Yes! This is INDEED very short for me! But that's what I want this to be. A short quick story, with a few chapters and some mind rape. I'm sure this idea has been played over and over, but hey, I wanted to give my take on a few things for it. Figured, why not? Till next time:D


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